A new approach for hemodynamics of varicoceles: blood flow patterns based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Background: Hemodynamic alterations in the spermatic vein are implicated in infertility among patients with varicocele (VC). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), a powerful tool for hemodynamic analysis, remains unexplored for VC. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using CEUS to evaluate spermatic vein hemodynamics in patients with VC and establish a clear correlation between specific hemodynamic patterns and impaired semen parameters.

The 2023 report of the synergetic roadmap on carbon neutrality and clean air for China: Carbon reduction, pollution mitigation, greening, and growth.

The response to climate change and air pollution control demonstrates strong synergy across scientific mechanisms, targets, strategies, and governance systems. This report, based on a monitoring indicator system for coordinated governance of air pollution and climate change, employs an interdisciplinary approach combining natural and social sciences. It establishes 20 indicators across five key areas: air pollution and climate change, governance systems and practices, structural transformation and technologies, atmospheric components and emission reduction pathways, and health impacts and co-benefits.

[Synergistic Emission Reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Atmospheric Pollutants Under Different Low-carbon Development Scenarios of the Power Industry in Jiangsu Province].

The power industry is the main source of carbon dioxide （CO） emissions in Jiangsu Province and also an important source of sulfur dioxide （SO）, nitrogen oxides （NO）, and particulate matter （PM）. In order to address climate change and contribute to the goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality," Jiangsu Province has implemented a series of low-carbon development policies in the power industry. These policies not only reduce carbon emissions but also have important synergistic emission reduction benefits for atmospheric pollutants.

Optimization of Proportions of Alkali-Activated Slag-Fly Ash-Based Cemented Tailings Backfill and Its Strength Characteristics and Microstructure under Combined Action of Dry-Wet and Freeze-Thaw Cycles.

To enhance the application of alkali-activated materials in mine filling, cemented tailings backfill was prepared using slag, fly ash, sodium silicate, and NaOH as primary constituents. The effects of the raw material type and dosage on the backfill were examined through a single-factor experiment. Additionally, response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize the mixing ratios of the backfill, with a focus on fluidity and compressive strength as key objectives.

Seasonal quantification of the inter-city transport of PM in the Yangtze River Delta region of China based on a source-oriented chemical transport model and the Michaelis-Menten equation.

Regional transport plays a crucial role in the pollution of fine particulate matter (PM) over the Yangtze River Delta region (YRD). A practical joint regional emission control strategy requires quantitative assessment of the contribution of regional transport. In this study, the contribution of inter-city transport to PM among the 41 cities in the YRD region were quantitatively estimated using a source-oriented chemical transport model, and then the relationship between the cumulative contribution of regional transport and the distance was examined using the Michaelis-Menten equation.

Unequal Health Risks and Attributable Mortality Burden of Source-Specific PM in China.

Anthropogenic emissions, originating from human activities, stand as the primary contributors to PM, which is recognized as a global health threat. The disease burden associated with PM has been extensively documented. However, the prevailing estimations have predominantly relied on PM exposure-response functions, neglecting the distinct risks posed by PM from various sources.

Modeling the molecular composition of secondary organic aerosol under highly polluted conditions: A case study in the Yangtze River Delta Region in China.

A near-explicit mechanism, the master chemical mechanism (MCMv3.3.1), coupled with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model (CMAQ-MCM-SOA), was applied to investigate the characteristics of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) during a pollution event in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in summer 2018.

Continued Rise in Health Burden from Ambient PM in India under SSP Scenarios Until 2100 despite Decreasing Concentrations.

Forecasting alterations in ambient air pollution and the consequent health implications is crucial for safeguarding public health, advancing environmental sustainability, informing economic decision making, and promoting appropriate policy and regulatory action. However, predicting such changes poses a substantial challenge, requiring accurate data, sophisticated modeling methodologies, and a meticulous evaluation of multiple drivers. In this study, we calculate premature deaths due to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) exposure in India from the 2020s (2016-2020) to the 2100s (2095-2100) under four different socioeconomic and climate scenarios (SSPs) based on four CMIP6 models.

China's carbon-neutral policies will reduce short-term PM-associated excess incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

China's carbon-neutral target could have benefits for ambient fine particulate matter (PM)-associated mortality. Although previous studies have researched such benefits, the potential impact on cardiovascular disease incidence burden is yet to be investigated thoroughly. Here, we first estimate the association between short-term PM exposure and the incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) via a case-crossover study before projecting future changes in short-term PM-associated excess incidence across China from 2025 to 2060 under three different emission scenarios.

The joint effects of prenatal exposure to PM constituents and reduced fetal growth on children's accelerated growth in the first 3 years: a birth cohort study.

Background: Prenatal fine particulate matter (PM) constituents exposure and reduced fetal growth may be risk factors for accelerated growth in early childhood, an important indicator for lifelong health.

Objective: The study investigated whether the joint effects are present between PM constituents and reduced fetal growth.

Methods: The study was embedded in a birth cohort in China, including 5424 mother-child pairs.

Trimethylamine from Subtropical Forests Rival Total Farmland Emissions in China.

Many types of living plants release gaseous trimethylamine (TMA), making it a potentially important contributor to new particle formation (NPF) in remote areas. However, a panoramic view of the importance of forest biogenic TMA at the regional scale is lacking. Here, we pioneered nationwide mobile measurements of TMA across a transect of contiguous farmland in eastern China and a transect of subtropical forests in southern China.

[Transport and Potential Sources Regions of Double High Pollution in Nanjing by Different Synoptic Situations].

Based on the hourly concentration data of fine particulate matter （PM） and ozone （O） in Nanjing from 2015 to 2019， the synoptic situation that occurred in Nanjing， in which high PM and high O coexisted （hereinafter referred to as double high pollution （DHP））， was typed using T-mode principal component analysis. Additionally， the backward trajectory clustering analysis method， potential source contribution method （PSCF）， and concentration weight trajectory analysis method （CWT） were used to study the transport paths and potential source region distribution of the DHP of Nanjing by different synoptic situations. The synoptic situations favorable to the DHP in Nanjing were the control of weak low-pressure type （Type1） and high-pressure center （Type2）.

[Impacts of Anthropogenic Emission Reduction on Urban Atmospheric Oxidizing Capacity During the COVID-19 Lockdown].

In recent years， regional compound air pollution events caused by fine particles （PM） and ozone （O） have occurred frequently in economically developed areas of China， in which atmospheric oxidizing capacity （AOC） has played an important role. In this study， the WRF-CMAQ model was used to study the impacts of anthropogenic emission reduction on AOC during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Three representative cities in eastern China （Shijiazhuang， Nanjing， and Guangzhou） were selected for an in-depth analysis to quantify the contribution of meteorology and emissions to the changes in AOC and oxidants and to discuss the impact of AOC changes on the formation of secondary pollutants.

WITHDRAWN: Insights into the source contributions to the elevated fine particulate matter in Nigeria using a source-oriented chemical transport model.

This paper has been withdrawn.

Dominant contribution of combustion-related ammonium during haze pollution in Beijing.

Aerosol ammonium (NH), mainly produced from the reactions of ammonia (NH) with acids in the atmosphere, has significant impacts on air pollution, radiative forcing, and human health. Understanding the source and formation mechanism of NH can provide scientific insights into air quality improvements. However, the sources of NH in urban areas are not well understood, and few studies focus on NH/NH at different heights within the atmospheric boundary layer, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of aerosol NH.

Improved prediction of hourly PM concentrations with a long short-term memory and spatio-temporal causal convolutional network deep learning model.

Accurate prediction of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM) is important for environmental management and human health protection. In recent years, many efforts have been devoted to develop air quality predictions using the machine learning and deep learning techniques.

[Elucidating the Impacts of Meteorology and Emission Changes on Concentrations of Major Air Pollutants in Major Cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region Using a Machine Learning De-weather Method].

This study applied a de-weather method based on a machine learning technique to quantify the contribution of meteorology and emission changes to air quality from 2015 to 2021 in four cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region. The results showed that the significant reductions in PM, NO, and SO emissions(57.2%-68.

Insights on aerosol properties using two decades-long ground-based remote sensing datasets in Moldova, Eastern Europe.

Aerosol optical properties were studied over Chisinau in Moldova, one of the longest running AERONET sites in Eastern Europe. During two decades (September 1999-November 2018), the mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom exponent (AE) were observed as 0.21 ± 0.

Performance Characteristics of Silicone Rubber for Use in Acidic Environments.

Silicone rubber insulators are widely used in power grids because of their excellent performance, but aging has been an inevitable problem of silicone rubber, especially in extreme conditions, such as acidic conditions. In order to clarify the performance changes in silicone rubber in an acidic environment, this paper uses the developed acid-resistant silicone rubber sheet and common silicone rubber samples as the research objects, and conducts an aging comparison test on them in a natural acidic environment. The electrical properties, physical properties, and chemical properties of the two types of silicone rubber specimens with different aging times are analyzed to obtain the performance characteristics of silicone rubber under a natural acidic environment.

Change of Composition, Source Contribution, and Oxidative Effects of Environmental PM in the Respiratory Tract.

Fine particulate matter is a leading air pollutant, and its composition profile relates to sources and health effects. The human respiratory tract hosts a warmer and more humid microenvironment in contrast with peripheral environments. However, how the human respiratory tract impacts the transformation of the composition of environmental PM once they are inhaled and consequently changes of source contribution and health effects are unknown.

Short-term effects of fine particulate matter constituents on myocardial infarction death.

Existing evidence suggested that short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) may increase the risk of death from myocardial infarction (MI), while PM constituents responsible for this association has not been determined. We collected 12,927 MI deaths from 32 counties in southern China during 2011-2013. County-level exposures of ambient PM and its 5 constituents (i.